Redwood Empire Food Bank (REFB) is a

food bank A food bank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger, usually through intermediaries like food pantries and soup kitchens. Some food banks distribute food direc ...

on the

North Coast North Coast or Northcoast may refer to : Antigua and Barbuda * Major Division of North Coast, a census division in Saint John Parish Australia *New South Wales North Coast, a region Canada *The British Columbia Coast, primarily the communiti ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

which belongs to the

Feeding America Feeding America is a United States–based nonprofit organization that is a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks that feed more than 46 million people through food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other community-based agencies. ...

network. Its mission is to end hunger in its community. Founded in 1987, REFB is

Sonoma County Sonoma County () is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa, California, Santa Rosa. It is to the n ...

's largest hunger-relief organization, serving 133 charitable organizations, including emergency food pantries/closets, shelters and dining rooms, childcare centers/youth programs, group homes, and disaster relief agencies. Seniors, children, and working families come to food distributions seeking supplemental groceries. REFB acquires food and distributes it through a network of charitable agencies and its own food assistance programs and also provides food to

Lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

, Mendocino, Humboldt, and Del Norte Counties through smaller food banks. In addition, the REFB advocates for legislation to provide long-term solutions to hunger in its community.

Recipients

In 2018, The Redwood Empire Food Bank distributed the equivalent of 40 million meals, or 40,000 per day. Each year, the Redwood Empire Food Bank serves 82,000 people across five counties—Sonoma County, Lake County, Mendocino County, Humboldt County, and Del Norte County. A January 2010 report estimated that REFB was providing emergency food for over 110,000 different people annually, and that in any given week about 26,000 different people were receiving emergency food assistance. In late 2010, REFB was serving 78,000 monthly meals, an increase of more than 11 percent over 2009.

Operations

Food collection and distribution

The vast majority of Redwood Empire Food Bank's work is direct service. Approximately 70% of the food distributed through the food bank goes out through 300+ pop-up food distributions each month. The remaining food is distributed through the Agency Shopping Program, which provides food to 170+ member charities that serve people in need. The food bank's 2007 holiday food drive set a goal to collect of food and $160,000.

Education

The Redwood Empire Food Bank addresses the needs of low-income seniors living with diabetes through the Diabetes Wellness program. In 2012, REFB began implementing a three-year, $800,000 project, funded by the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, to address

type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urination, ...

. The Diabetes Wellness Project provides food and educational materials to individuals, and conducts screenings. Much of the project is being done in partnership with Sonoma County healthcare providers.

2013 expansion

In September 2011, Redwood Empire Food Bank purchased a 60,000-square-foot building near the

Charles M. Schulz – Sonoma County Airport Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

for $5 million. It opened the building after investing $2.5 million in renovations and improvements, including a 5,000-square-foot freezer and cooler, warehouse racking, truck docks and offices. The new location also created a new "value marketplace" grocery store for low-income families, bringing dignity to the WIC and CalFresh shopping experience. The building groundbreaking celebration was in October 2012. The new building is three times the size of the building that REFB had occupied since 1998, and opened in early 2013. The building also replaced three building spaces that REFB was renting.

Sources of donated food

The food bank distributes nearly $4.00 (wholesale value) worth of food for every $1 it spends. * 55% donated fresh produce * 17% donated groceries * 10% purchased wholesale * 15% USDA Commodities * <5% Community Food Drives In December 1998,

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

donated more than 33,000 pounds of in honor of her late husband, musician

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

Volunteers

Over 8,500 individuals volunteered in 2018, packing and sorting food, doing clerical tasks, driving trucks to pick up and deliver food, participating in special projects such as food drives and special events, and sharing their technological expertise. These volunteers filled the equivalent of more than 45 full-time staff positions.

Funding

Organized as a

501(c) A 501(c) organization is a nonprofit organization in the Law of the United States#Federal law, federal law of the United States according to Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)) and is one of over 29 types of nonprofit organizations exe ...

(3) Public Charity, the food bank reported total revenue of over $42 million for the fiscal year 2017–2018. Of this, less than $1.1 million came from government contracts. * value of donated food (59%) * individuals (17%) * grants and foundation support (9%) * corporate partnerships (6%) * partner organizations (3%) * government contracts (3%) * community fundraisers (3%) Member agencies contribute toward the cost of transporting and handling the food through shared maintenance fees for some of the food they select, which contribute nearly 6% of the Redwood Empire Food Bank's budget. 94% of Redwood Empire Food Bank's expenses go to its hunger-relief programs.

References

External links

* {{Coord, 38.5139, N, 122.7926, W, type:landmark_region:US-CA, display=title 1987 establishments in California Charities based in California Del Norte County, California Lake County, California Mendocino County, California Napa County, California Organizations based in Santa Rosa, California Food banks in California Non-profit organizations based in the San Francisco Bay Area